How badly do you need a relaxing day at the spa? Believe me, I’m with you! That’s a HUGE fantasy of mine yet to be realized. To get a taste of the relaxation and spoiling I need, I treat myself to a beautiful, luxurious, oil cleansing facial! This is totally easy and cost effective because you create the facial out of household items!

*I borrowed this idea from Megan Jeyifo who wrote a blog post for a blog no longer being published.

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Chemical Free Oil Cleansing Method

Ingredients:

Castor Oil

Other natural cold-pressed oil, like EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) I like Coconut Oil, it sounds more sophisticated than olive oil, in my opinion!

It takes a trial run or two to get the ratio right for your skin. If you have oily/acne-prone skin you might try 3 parts castor oil to one part natural oil, if your skin stays on the drier side try one part castor, 3 parts natural oil. Then for normal skin you would use 1:1. I have found that two parts castor and one coconut oil is great for me. I added maybe 4-6 drops of essential oil to the mixture for the aroma therapy factor. Mix and store your oils in a reusable container!

How to use:

Do this before bed. Take a quarter size of your special blend in your palm, apply to face in circular motion with fingertips. Enjoy massaging the oil into your pores for at least one minute, but go longer for fun, try five minutes. It feels so nice! What you’re doing, is unclogging your pores and pulling out all the dirt you’ve collected throughout your day of hard work! It sounds strange, cleaning your face with oil, but your face is supposed to produce oil naturally, and your regular cleansers are full of chemicals that strip your skin of the natural oils it needs! When you rob your skin, your body has to work to replace the oil it lost. The OCM (oil cleansing method) Is a balancing treatment. Win, win, win!!! After you’ve massaged the oil into your face, take a wash rag and soak it with HOT water. You don’t want to burn yourself, but the water needs to be hot enough to break down the oil. Let the rag rest on your face, lie back on your bed and enjoy the sensation of pores opening and feeling clean! If you’ve added an essential oil, you’ll be treating yourself to a peaceful, aromatic retreat! You can repeat this step as many times as you like. Once you’ve finished, use the washcloth to gently wipe away any remaining oil. Then splash with cold water to close your now refreshed pores!

Ok, so castor is what cleanses, the other natural oil you choose is the “transporter” for the castor. Other fun oils to try are grapeseed, sunflower, or avocado! These oils will “deliver essential fatty acids to the skin”.

From the first night I tried this, I LOVED the way my face looked. Now, several weeks later, this is what I’m workin’ with! Please, don’t judge my looks too harshly, just appreciate my beautiful skin! (That’s right, I dare to call my skin ‘beautiful’! That’s because I love what OCM has done for me!)

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**See my update on how the oil cleansing is working for me now, in my ‘No Poo’ post!